“Finish What You Started” — Week #1 weigh-in

Last week we launched “Finish What You Started” Mondays: Group therapy in which we project procrastinators inspire each other to get those gosh-darned projects that we began — then abandoned — complete. Note: While I originally thought we would do this on Monday, I actually think Sunday is better — more time for most folks (probably) to upload photos and, well, dash to complete something if they haven’t already. Me first: For Week #1, I organized all of my vintage magazines, which I use as resources for information about midcentury home building and decorating trends. Now if you ask me a question about trends in, say, 1953, I can put my hands on the info that much faster. So procrastinators-with-renewed-enthusiasm: What project(s) did finish this Week #1. I’ve added the Photo Uploader — you can show us, too. I will award Gold Stars –>

More of my confessional: I first organized everything in boxes, by year, about three years ago. But since then, I did not put things back where they belonged as I used them. I don’t have a “before” photo. It was embarrassing. It looked pretty similar to my office (which I also have been working on.) What I learned last week: Put Things Away As I Go Along. I am a pile-creator by LAZY habit – yes, I am judging! Last week, really concentrating on putting everything in its place after I use it was actually kind of … calming. DH noticed, too, and was real nice to me about it. 🙂

What project(s) did you complete in Week #1?
Comment and/or share a photo with the uploader, below

Tips:

(1) Please be courteous and set your camera to no bigger than “medium” images, so files aren’t too large — large files really slow down the slide show and over time increase my costs to run this website.

(2) Uploader DOES work but message you get on screen *may be* funky and confusing. Upload ONCE and trust the image it there — I just need to “set new photos free” from my control panel and will be checking hourly to do so.

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[ngg_uploader id = 208]
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:

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Comments

Kathy C: wow, that is a GORGEOUS bathroom!! Same basic layout as ours, but with all the awesome still intact. Color me green with envy.

I uploaded a pic — we’re making great progress on the bathroom! My wife and I hung a little cameo-type stripe of vintage wallpaper on the wall above the sink, which we’re going to decoupage over to protect it from moisture. It looks *so cool*.

We also in the last two weeks finished tiling and grouting the floors, installing a pink toilet (and replacing its entire innards!) and pink ceramic toilet paper holder, and painting the rest of the room pink. It’s looking highly retro!

I had to replace the innards of the green toilet in my bath and that was just about the worst job ever! I had to use a dremel to cut off the rusted flange on the bottom of the bowl. I was so happy when finished I told my husband afterward that I was going to name our next child “Dremel Multi Max” in honor of the tool. I finally got it right and now we have a dual flush efficient toilet from 1958! It was worth it though, because the bath wouldn’t be the same without it.

I figured this was the last weekend of good weather I could expect here in the Northeast, so I scrapped my inside plans in favor of repainting my front door. It was white and blended in with the siding for a very monochromatic look that I didn’t care for. I picked my paint blindly, but when the hardware came off I discovered that the original door color was a lighter shade of a similar green. Unfortunately I went overboard polishing the knocker and latch handle- now they’re too shiny and new looking. Hopefully they will tarnish back up in a year or two.

we bought a $10 record player cabinet at the habitat for humanity store a few months ago. it was a tiger maple veneer and in really bad shape. we painted it bittersweet chocolate by benjamin moore to match the beams in the house and turned it into an entertainment center in our family room. we are unsure about the copper knobs. what do you think? the process will be in a future post of mine, but i couldn’t resist putting it here too!

Uh, Pam, does acquiring something you’ve wanted for a long time count as a “finished project”???

Ok, probably not, but my success in doing so was to buy a very very good condition green enamel and nearly perfect chrome Oster Milkshake machine! Now I just have to find the tin for it. Oh, and start the kitchen remodel for it to go in. Minor detail.

My goal was to get 2 sewing machines cleaned and out of the house, I was successful with one, (the yellow Brother pictured) the other is midway done. Um, I was given 3 more on Saturday and picked one up on the side of the road the same day. This isn’t how it’s supposed to work, is it? BUT, I did give one away because it was just crazy to have acquired 4 in one day.

I also started the artwork on the living room wall, cleaned the upholstery on my sofa and the Man chair, gave 3 dogs baths — you think it’s not a ‘house’ chore but really, it saves a lot of the house from extra cleaning.

Like you, Pam, I am a lazy pile maker but I’ve also been more conscious of putting things away right away, even if it’s begrudgingly, but it does help a lot.

Our plan was to get demo done in our half-bath, but instead we discovered a major plumbing problem with our main bathroom! So, we got the major plumbing issue fixed, did as much clean-up as possible (thankfully our neighbor is a master electrician and has training as a plumber, and was able to help us do the work ourselves instead of paying sky-high rates for a plumber on the Sunday of a holiday weekend), and we managed to at least get the vanity out of our half-bath. We’re giving the crappy 80s construction with a cheapo 2002 renovation a nice pre-war flair with white hex tile, beadboard, and a vanity that has a more “furniture” feel. And eventually the hole in my kitchen ceiling (where they had to go in to get access to the plumbing for the bathroom upstairs) will get fixed, too.

Oh, and I finally finished stitching my bargello pillow project! Now I just have to find backing fabric that coordinates and stitch it together.